Valentine's Day - Babylon's Romantic Deception - Page 3

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=168 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF" background="129a11c3.png"> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Welcome to the Heart4God Website!"><U><B><IMG SRC="4b55a500.png" border=0 width="90" height="80" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id2.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Writings of Joseph Herrin"><U><B>Writings by Date</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id212.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Writings of Joseph Herrin Organized "><U><B>Writings by Topic</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.heart4god.ws/Audio/index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.heart4god.ws/Audio/index.htm"><U><B>Audio Files</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id690.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Videos"><U><B>Videos</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id323.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Writings of Others"><U><B>Other Authors</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id324.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links"><U><B>Links</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id339.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Questions and Answers"><U><B>Q&A</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id328.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Heart4God Email List"><U><B>Heart4God E-mail List</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.parablesblog.blogspot.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.parablesblog.blogspot.com"><U><B>Parables Blog</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id306.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="File Downloads"><U><B><IMG SRC="2b264140.png" border=0 width="100" height="20" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <bR> <div> <B>Valentine's Day - Babylon's Romantic Deception - Page 3</B></div> <div> <IMG SRC="c2827160.png" border=0 width="807" height="22" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> In the ancient city of Ephesus a marble paving stone was found that is described as being the world’s oldest surviving example of advertising. On this marble stone is a picture of a prostitute holding a sign with the name of a sex house in ancient Ephesus. Along with the prostitute is the depiction of a man’s footprint, believed by some to indicate the direction to the house. There is also found on this same stone what we refer to as the heart symbol. Following are a few pictures of this marble paving stone.</div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="cd227c70.jpg" border=0 width="295" height="199" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"><IMG SRC="cd4fa5f0.jpg" border=0 width="250" height="351" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <IMG SRC="cd50a0d0.jpg" border=0 width="266" height="269" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"><IMG SRC="cd6902c0.jpg" border=0 width="400" height="300" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> This paving stone can still be viewed as it was originally laid out on a sidewalk of ancient Ephesus. The Ephesus brothel and public latrine were both located a short distance away. That you might be incredulous to think that the Ephesians would have a depiction of the female sex organ on their street is understandable. Yet just outside the brothel on a public well was found a statue of the god Bes. It is pictured below.</div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="cd785640.jpg" border=0 width="133" height="100" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> The Ephesians openly flaunted their excessive focus on sexuality. It was a common thing to go to a brothel to engage in sexual activity. Many of the temples of the day employed prostitutes to engage with the devoted followers of various fertility gods and goddesses in sex rites. The statue of Bes pictured above is rather tame in comparison to much of the sexual paraphernalia and artwork found in the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum.</div> <bR> <div> It was not just ancient peoples who understood the significance of what we now refer to as the heart symbol. The female sex organ is often associated with this shape today. One slang reference to the female sex organ is a cherry. The images shown below reveal the great similarity of form between the cherry and the heart symbol.</div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="cd9d8d80.jpg" border=0 width="216" height="216" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"><IMG SRC="cdcd3d80.jpg" border=0 width="211" height="216" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"><IMG SRC="cde6fd90.jpg" border=0 width="111" height="217" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> The website “answers at Yahoo.com” gives the following information regarding the symbolism of the cherry.</div> <bR> <div> <I>Certain fruits have strong fertility symbolism, and a deep red, ripe, juicy cherry is no exception. The cherry has come to represent chastity and purity as the fruit ripens on the tree. Once plucked, a cherry represents the loss of innocence and virtue. A cherry tasted is a virgin no more.</I></div> <bR> <div> <I>A cherry surrounded in flames speaks of unquenchable desire or passion.</I></div> <div> [Source: answers at Yahoo.com]</div> <bR> <div> Another common depiction of the heart symbol at Valentine’s Day includes a picture of a lock and a key. Following are some common depictions.</div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="ce0fac80.gif" border=0 width="250" height="200" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"><IMG SRC="ce3becf0.gif" border=0 width="190" height="207" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> After recognizing that the heart is a symbol for the female sex organ, the lock and key then attain a greater meaning. Some have suggested that the key is another symbol for the male sex organ. The key also points to an unlocking of a female’s chastity so that she will become promiscuous with her male suitor. There were times when men so feared that their wives and daughters would engage in undesirable sexual conduct, that the women were forced to wear chastity belts.</div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="ce5f6a40.jpg" border=0 width="246" height="164" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"><IMG SRC="ce7b5ae0.jpg" border=0 width="181" height="174" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> The heart with a lock and key is simply another reference to the act of sexual intercourse between a man and a woman. Valentine’s Day originated as a debauched festival that led to a great lack of restraint among mankind, including a profusion of prostitution and orgies. Satan has simply attempted to deceive those who would object to such overt imagery today by masking them in ways that appear cute and innocent.</div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="cfae4fa0.gif" border=0 width="228" height="250" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> Continue to <A HREF="id628.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Valentines Day Babylons Romantic Decept"><U>Next</U></A> Page</div> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>